Air Davis Returns to Oakland

Since the beginning of time (or at least since 1963), it has been well known that Al Davis loves the deep pass. He won three Super Bowls by airing it out, and he's been trying to do it again ever since.

In 2007, he drafted quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick of the draft. With one of the strongest arms the NFL has ever seen, he is the ideal quarterback to build his team around.

This year, he drafted wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, with the seventh overall pick of the draft. With a 4.3 second time on the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, he is the ideal receiver to pair up with Russell.

Davis hopes that Heyward-Bey is the next Cliff Branch, the blazing fast receiver who was a member of all three of the Raiders' Super Bowl champion teams.

Unfortunately, it takes more than raw athletic ability to win in the NFL.

Great coaching is as important as ever.

The Raiders hired Ted Tollner as the team's new passing game coordinator. After two seasons of Lane Kiffin and Gregg Knapp's conservative short passing offense, expect Ted Tollner to take more chances and let JaMarcus Russell use his incredible arm to its full potential.

Ted Tollner is an indirect disciple of Don "Air" Coryell, the mind behind the high powered San Diego Chargers offense of the 1980's. Tollner has held many offensive coordinator and offensive assistant coach jobs since 1987. He brings a ton of experience to the team and a ton of deep passes to the play book.

The Raiders have also built a dominant running game over the past couple years. Michael Bush, Darren McFadden, and Justin Fargas make one of the best offensive backfields in the league.

Tom Cable has sculpted the offensive line into a powerful run blocking unit with his zone blocking scheme. Jim Michalczik, Cal's former assistant head coach/offensive line coach/offensive coordinator, was brought in to be the new Raiders offensive line coach.

Two of the league's greatest offensive line minds will combine to make the Raiders dominate the trenches on offense.

This year, expect the Oakland Raiders offense to revolve around a dominant run game that sets up the deep pass.

Let the league be warned...the last time the Raiders did that they won Super Bowl XVIII.